James Patrick Griffin (8 July 1933 – 21 November 2019)
was an American-born
philosopher
Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...
, who was
White's Professor of Moral Philosophy at the
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...
from 1996 to 2019.
Education
Griffin was educated at
Choate School in
Wallingford, Connecticut, and
Yale University
Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...
, obtaining a
BA in 1955. He was then a
Rhodes Scholar
The Rhodes Scholarship is an international Postgraduate education, postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford in Oxford, United Kingdom. The scholarship is open to people from all backgrounds around the world.
Esta ...
at
Corpus Christi College, Oxford (1955–58), then a senior scholar at
St Antony's College, Oxford (1958–60), obtaining his doctorate under the supervision of
Gilbert Ryle in 1960.
Career
After lecturing at
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church (, the temple or house, ''wikt:aedes, ædes'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by Henry V ...
from 1960 to 1966, he was appointed a
Fellow
A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...
of
Keble College, Oxford in 1966, a position he held until 1996. He was then appointed
White's Professor of Moral Philosophy at Oxford, becoming a Fellow of Corpus Christi College; he was appointed an Honorary Fellow of Keble in 1996, and also became an Emeritus Fellow of Corpus Christi.
[
In 2000 Griffin became distinguished visiting professor of philosophy at Rutgers University and in 2002 adjunct professor at the Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics in ]Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
in Canberra
Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...
.[
Griffin visited the Chinese University of Hong Kong in spring, 2010, as its thirteenth Tang Chun-I Visiting Professor, conducting a four-week graduate seminar ''What, if anything, can Philosophy Contribute to Normative Ethics?'' and also spoke on ''Human Dignity as the Ground of Human Rights,'' as well as addressing the issue, ''Does 'ought' imply 'can'?'' in a public lecture.
Griffin was awarded the Commission of National Education Medal from ]Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
(1992), the Order of Diego de Losada from Venezuela
Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...
(1999) and Doctor ''honoris causa'' conferred by the University of Santiago de Compostela (2003).
Selected bibliography
His publications include:
*
*
*
*
*
Further reading
*
References
External links "Professor Jim Griffin, moral philosopher who inspired his Oxford undergraduates for more than three decades"
– '' Daily Telegraph'' obituary archived by Wayback Machine
{{DEFAULTSORT:Griffin, James
1933 births
2019 deaths
21st-century American philosophers
20th-century American philosophers
Yale University alumni
American Rhodes Scholars
Alumni of Corpus Christi College, Oxford
Fellows of Keble College, Oxford
Fellows of Corpus Christi College, Oxford
White's Professors of Moral Philosophy
Presidents of the Aristotelian Society